After ten years as a cleanup specialist on Dream-Breaking Team D009, Shen Ci was transferred to the unassigned roster.
The reason was simple: the entire D009 team had entered a maliciously woven dream. They only managed to repair it and save its owner, stabilizing the magnetic field, just before reaching the 72-hour limit.
The price was the death of their captain, one teammate left in a vegetative state, and two others who had reached retirement age and immediately applied to retire.
But Shen Ci still had to work five more years to qualify for the Dream Maintenance Department's retirement benefits.
The Director: You're going to lead D321.
Shen Ci: Is this a case of whoever's left gets the crown?
Dirt-poor Shen Ci held a black umbrella in his left hand and spun a ring watch engraved with D009 in his right, thinking about the benefits and perks he'd get after retirement.
In the fifteenth year of the Dream Age, humanity was still fighting to survive in a world transformed by changes in the dream magnetic field. A dreamless night had become the greatest wish of all.
Drugs that suppressed the side effect of falling asleep and entering dreams, weapons that could be brought into the dream world, and equipment for setting up safe, dreamless shelters had become the best-selling goods. They were expensive, but demand far exceeded supply.
Even if you want to lie flat, you still need supplies, even if you're a dream-breaking esper.
So he put down D009 and picked up D321.
Did he get his new ring watch a little too fast?
Staring at the new group chat name, "Me and My Neurotic Teammates," Shen Ci fell silent.
How was he supposed to leave behind D009's old-school style and adapt to the chaotic, anything-goes madness of D321?!
Teammate A: A confident woman with a perfect 10 in looks and combat ability. She put on lipstick and gained the ability to enter dreams. Weapon: lipstick.
Teammate B: A rich kid on the verge of bankruptcy. He was holding a decorative toilet made of gold when he gained the ability to enter dreams. Weapon: toilet.
Teammate C: A nine-year-old girl who didn't want to go to school. She crouched by the school gate, waiting for her mother to leave, and idly turned a Rubik's Cube when she gained the ability to enter dreams. Weapon: Rubik's Cube.
Teammate D: A dejected archer about to withdraw from a competition when he gained the ability to enter dreams. Weapon: bow and arrows.
Teammates A, B, C, and D: Yes! Our new captain has ten years of experience and looks steady as a rock. Now we can go wild!
Huh?
Shen Ci wasn't sure he could retire in peace. He wanted a strong teammate to show him the ropes too!
Theme: Even if it's all a dream, see it through to the end
